winter weather. heavy snow. freezing temperatures and strong winds. the first serious snowstorm of the season takes aim at the midwest. heading south, south carolina primary takes center stage. mitt romney hopes to close the deal as more conservative rivals hope to stop it. inside syria. the ten month old uprising against the government. journalists come under fire with deadly results. this is the "cbs morning news" deadly results. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, january 12, 2012. captioning funded by cbs good morning everybody. i'm terrell brown. we begin with what's shaping up to be the first serious winter storm. starting this morning,

plummeting temperatures, heavy snow and strong winds expected in the midwest. advisories posted in kansas, illinois, iowa, wisconsin, indiana and kentucky. some areas will see near blizzard-like conditions making travel difficult and dangerous. up to eight inches of snow is expected in chicago. there will be accumulating snow as far south as st. louis. in iowa, snow and icy roads are making for tough conditions in des moines. wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour. forecast, the windchill could reach 10 below by later this morning. that same cold front spawned a possible tornado in western north carolina. police say as many as 40 buildings were damaged east of asheville. five collapsed during last night's storm. it started with heavy rain and hail. >> heard thunder and lightning and felt like the side of the house was popping off. >> at least three people why injured. one family was trapped in their basement when the house collapsed. a mobile home park took the

worst of it. to cordova, alaska now. the small fishing village trying to dig out from under 15 feet of snow. the bad news, more snow is expected today. the good news, more snow shovels are expected to arrive. officials hope to have the one road leading in and out of town open for emergency vehicles. a russian fuel tanker along with a coast guard icebreaker are slowly making their way through the berg sea towards nome alaska. the town is on the verge of running out of fuel. the big storm prevented the pre-winter fuel delivery last fuel. if the tanker can get close enough, it has a mile long hose to deliver the fuel. politics now. in the south carolina primary. the presidential candidates are looking to stop mitt romney. the unemployment rate in south carolina is almost as high as iowa and new hampshire combined. they're taking his business career to task. ines ferre has more. >> good morning, terrell. the question is, can mitt romney

get the trifecta win in south carolina. his gop rivals are trying to slow him downment mitt romney is trying to tap into voter frustration to win over south carolina. >> it's been a tough three years for people in the palmetto state. unemployment at 9.9% still. >> at a rally last night he repeatedly blamed president obama for the economic troubles. >> we're going through tough times in part because of the failure of one man. that's why he has to go. >> there's one conservative in the race who has the potential to defeat governor romney. >> for weeks, newt gingrich has been trying to stop romney's momentum attacking his business background. but on wednesday, a gingrich supporter pleaded with him to change his strategy. >> i want to beg you to redirect and go after his obvious disengine unness about his conservatism and lay off the corporatist versus the free market. i think it's nuance. >> i agree with you. obama makes it impossible to

talk rationally in that area. he's so deeply into class warfare. >> even other gop contenders are calling on gingrich to switch gears and focus on romney's record as massachusetts governor instead. >> i'm not going to engage in hyper charged political rhetoric. that's not who i am. >> rick santorum didn't mention gingrich by name but called for an end to the hostile rhetoric. >> it's bad enough for barack obama to blame folks and business for causing problems in this country. it's one other thing for republicans to join in on that. >> santorum and the other gop candidates are going after romney's weak spot in south carolina pushing for the social conservative vote. >> some conservatives are saying that the recent attacks against mitt romney could undermine the party's free market principles. it also only helps the democrats that want president obama to be re-elected. they have to sit back and watch the republicans duke it out. ines ferre in washington. thank you very much.

speaking of president obama, back in washington following fundraisers in his hometown of chicago. the president told donors not to back down, that it's going to be a close race. mr. obama also stopped by his campaign headquarters and made a quick stop home to check up on things. overseas in afghanistan, the taliban is ready to hold peace talks. yesterday, secretary of state hillary clinton acknowledged that the u.s. is hoping to establish peace talks with the taliban. an e-mail this morning from the taliban suggests talks are closer but in the meantime the struggle continues. the marine corps is investigating some disturbing video that appears to show marines urinating on the corpses of taliban fighters. the video was posted n you-tube showing four men in combat uniforms in afghanistan urinating on the corpses. they haven't verified the authenticity of the video but say the actions aren't consistent with marine values. the united states is cutting staff in damascus because of

security concerns. the uprising triggered a government crackdown. it's now claimed the life of a french journalist. elizabeth palmer was granted rare access to syria and filed in report. >> the group of western journalists were midway through their government supervised tour of homes when the area came under fire. one french journalist was killed. so were eight syrians. ordinary residents of this middle class neighborhood. just 20 minutes earlier, we had been on the same street to hear from the people who say the threat of snipers and kidnapping is constant. we weren't allowed out of the site of our minders but could see from the bus window that it's eerily quiet. armed opposition groups control whole neighborhoods which are off lipts to all government vehicles. our bus driver didn't dare drive across town. he went around it. to the next destination on the

tour, the military hospital where we were shown injured syrian soldiers in nearly every bed. doctors say an average of 25 wounded soldiers arrive daily along with four to five dead. in damascus, syria's president, bashar al assad made his first appearance since the uprising began ten months ago. speaking to this vast crowd of supporters, he once again blamed the violence on a foreign plot and promised to crackdown hard. and in an ominous sign, in spite of international attempts to mediate in this conflict, the arab league has a team of observers here on the ground, but in spite of their presence, the violence actually seems to be escalating. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, damascus. the united states says it had nothing to do with the murder of an iranian nuclear

scientist the two men on a motorcycle attached the bomb to his car. the driver was also killed. iranian authorities blame israel. the latest in a series of attacks on scientists working on the nuclear program in iran. a mississippi judge blocked the release of 21 prison inmates pardoned by outgoing governor haley barbour. some of the pardons may be illegal. on his last day in office shall barbour issued on pardons for more than 200 inmate, including convicted killers and some who worked as trustees as the governor's mansion. that angered and frightened many victims' families. attorney general hood tried to reassure them. >> we have our law enforcement watching ones that we think are a danger that have been released. i think they're going to be fine. just be careful. >> hood says as many as 175 of the pardons issued may be illegal. take a quick break. hard times for ho hos. some things you think you'll

never say. hostess files for bankruptcy. plus, meet your new wing man. we'll tell you about parahawking which lets you soar as a falcon as your companion. scott pelley has a preview of the cbs evening news. this is the anniversary of the earthquake in haiti. billions of dollars have been raised in the two years since. but where has all the money gone? we'll ask the haitian prime minister and we'll see how families are still struggling in tent cities to survive. that story tonight on the cbs evening news. or food, it's all about taste. and the chefs at lean cuisine are loving tangy lemon, peppery poblano, sweet butternut. we're roasting, and grilling to create must-have meals with no preservatives. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists.

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relief made simple. and it hasn't been going exactly as planned. cut. cut! [ monica ] i thought we'd be on location for 3 days -- it's been 3 weeks. so i had to pick up some more things. good thing i've got the citi simplicity card. i don't get hit with a fee if i'm late with a payment... which is good because on this job, no! bigger! [ monica ] i may not be home for a while. [ male announcer ] the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. . here's something that might be even better than soaring like a bird. how about soaring with a bird. it's called parahawking. a sport combining falconry and paragliding. gliding over the southern california coast, he sticks out his arm for his hawk to swoop in at 60 miles per hour. he starts to take paying

passengers along in about a year. i'll just watch. cbs money watch time now. home foreclosures are trending downward and sour news for a company known for sweet treats. ashley morrison with more. >> good morning, i'm with you. i'll watch as well. in overseas trading there was profit taking in tokyo. the nikkei lost .75%. the hang seng finished a fraction lower. n wall street, stocks were mostly flat wednesday. the dow broke a two-day winning streak losing 13 points. the nasdaq edged up eight. p a positive sign for the housing market as foreclosure filings fell to a four-year low in 2011. according to realty trac filings were down 34% last year. that puts some at their lowest levels since 2007 before the housing market started to collapse. a new study by the research center finds rising tensions between the haves and have notes. a growing number of white middle

class and politically independent people are likely to cite strong disagreements between rich and poor. the issue will likely factor in this year's presidential election. the food and drug administration has temporarily stopped shipments of orange juice from foreign countries. the move comes after trace amounts of a fungicide was discovered in juice imported from brazil. fda officials are not concerned about the safety of the juice. but the agency will step up tests to make sure the contamination does not become a problem. and fewer americans are munching on twinkies and ding dongs and that equals bad business for the company that makes them. hostess brands filed for bankruptcy on wednesday. the company has enough cash to keep operating but with more americans trying to keep healthier, hostess sales have taken a hit. i would not be part of that group. i love the twinkies and ding dong. >> oh, no they didn't ashley. >> oh, yeah, they did. >> oh, ho ho, no ashley

morrison. thank you so much. comedy was king at last night's 38th annual people's choice awards. here on cbs. the box office smash bridesmaids took the award for favorite comedy movie. cbs's how i met your mother was voted favorite met work tv comedy and another hit, two broke girls won the award for favorite new tv comedy. ashley, they have to separate us. coming up, we'll have your weather forecast. in sports, a wild overtime duel in l.a. the clippers and the heat slug it out. [ male announcer ] this is coach parker... whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪ ♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie.

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here's a look at the weather in some cities. morning rain and 54 in new york. partly cloudy and 79 in miami. snow, 30 degrees in chicago. sunny in dallas, 49 degrees. sunny in l.a. too. 74. in sports this morning. nba action. big night for the l.a. clippers. visiting miami. chris paul scored 27 points with 11 assists. including a no look pass to blake griff infor the alley-oop. later mario chalmers. lebron james for the jam. late into the third period, it went into overtime. tied 86. a missed goal tending call. 95-89 was the final. here in new york, showed his stuff with a drive and a one-handed jam. carmello anthony in this one. he dropped 27 points, enough for the knicks to snap the win

streak. 85-79. college hoops no. top ranked syracuse, led the orange against villanova. a reverse layup. all of this early in the game. at the half, darden had a long buzzer beater to put syracuse up by 19. in the second, waders scored on a transition jam. we're going to sit and watch. yes, sir. syracuse wins 79-66 to remain undefeated 18-0 on the season. then a hard fought game in auburn. drove for a layup and a foul. late in the game, lamb pass to anthony davis for an alley-oop. wildcats win 68-53. when we come back on a thursday morning, new hope for severe heartburn patients. a simple device could help them enjoy eating again. [ eva ] you know when you push your hair to the breaking point? that's me with the blow dryer and the flat iron

until i see smoke. so pantene said, "breakage and split ends? no problem." they gave me this pantene called breakage to strength. [ female announcer ] the keratin protection pro-v system helps prevent then repair split ends. zero fear of breakage, 100% more strength. [ eva ] no regrets, just health. [ female announcer ] split end repair creme, winner, cosmo beauty award. pantene. hair so healthy it shines. pantene. sears big weekend savings event is here! and shop your way rewards members get a $10 award card when you spend $50! plus, all nordictrack is on sale. get up to 25% off kenmore. and take an extra 30% off clearance clothing. hurry in to sears! school.

a female teacher... accused of having a sexual relationship with a minor. how social media may have played a role. a strict ban.. for all smokers in the u-c system. the harsh policy.. about to go in effect. and hundreds of jobs... up for grabs today. the hiring spree at a bay area target. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. you can't smoke here.

here's a hook at the weather. partly sunny and 59 in d.c. in detroit, mostly cloudy skies. 46 degrees. 30 degrees and sunny in denver. 44 degrees, partly sunny skies in seattle. in lima, peru, sentencing expected tomorrow for joran van der sloot sloot. he pleaded guilty yesterday. he admitted killing a woman he met in 20 so. prosecutors are seeking a 30-year prison sentence. he remains the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of american teenager natalee holloway. her body was never found. in health news, people who suffer from severe heartburn may have a new treatment option. an fda advisory panel is recommending an implanted device that can stop acid reflux. for more than 20 years,

kelly morissette couldn't eat without the pain and discomfort of heartburn and acid reflux. >> a lot of times, as i was eating, not even halfway through a meal, the food would start coming back up. >> she has gastroesophageal reflux or gerd. she changed her diet and tried medications. >> they didn't work. i was taking maximum strength of all the drugs. >> she turned to the doctors who were testing an experimental device. the small band of magnetic beads is surgically implanted, placed around the valve at the end of the he is off dpus to keep stomach acids from coming in. >> the force of the beads puts an increased on the valve which helps keep it closed to prevent the reflux. >> the surgery takes about 15 minutes. doctors put the patient under general anesthesia before making five small incisions. >> patients seem to get back on to a regular diet quicker than

with conventional surgery. >> the doctor says there's been no major pli indications. with the device. they may have difficulty swallowing at first. it's been two years since kelly had the implant. >> i do not take any medicine whatsoever. i can eat anything i want. >> including oranges. something she would have never enjoyed before the surgery. the new government report on the leading causes of death in this country shows homicide has fallen from the top 15 for the first time since 1965. the cdc report shows that in 2010, infant mortality dropped to an all-time low of just over six per thousand births. the life expectancy for a child born that year rose by about a month to 78 years and 8 months. heart disease and cancer remain the top killers accounting for nearly half of the 2.4 million deaths. but the death rates for both continue to decline. coming up later on "cbs this morning," the second anniversary

of the earthquake in haiti. and the child adoption problems that country still faces. i'm terrell brown in new york. this is the "cbs morning news." they're two of a kind. and, just like toddlers, puppies need food made for them. that's why there's purina puppy chow... with all the essential nutrients your growing puppy needs. purina puppy chow. but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] yes, it is.

your favorites, in pieces.

a serious problem concerning our oceans. floating plastic debris is killing birds in a disturbing way. a filmmaker in canada made it his mission to spread the news. chbc reports. every one of these pieces came out of the stomach of one of these baby albatrosses. >> this is jan vozenilek's collection of plastic from the beaches of a remote pacific island. everything in here came out of the stomach of baby albatross sea birds. >> a lot of bottle caps, we have a lot of toothbrushes. fishing floats. there's a syringe. >> he's part of a film crew

documenting the effects of plastic pollution in our oceans. a trip to midway island in the center of the pacific two and a half years ago opened his eyes to this epidemic. >> it was a horrific scene. we got off the plane and there were these decaying corpses of baby albatrosses absolutely filled with our plastic junk. >> it's video that's hard to watch. birds dead because they mistook plastic for food and fed it to their young. the island itself, a magnet for our garbage because of the location in the current. >> the profound moving experience to see that firsthand. it gave me a lot of fuel when i came back to spread this message with others. >> the message? that our reliance on single-use plastics like disposable forks or styrofoam plates must end or this never will. >> after doing research, i learned that 5% of plastic

globally gets recycled and it gets down cycled into other products like benches, you know, you see in parks and carpeting that eventually ends up in land fills anyway. >> vozenilek takes his message to groups like this one and to schools around the okanagan. pquickly. ds get the message >> if you ask them what they should do about this, they immediately know what to do. >> but all of us must pitch in if we're going to make a difference. >> have the conversations with the shop owners saying i will come back here and buy your chinese food when you have a plate available, until you get rid of the styrofoam plates. having the conversations, letting them know you're not buying their product there and they will change. >> yes, the death of so many birds is tragic but vozenilek point out, this is about something much bigger. the albatross must be considered a canary and the world is coal mine. >> listen to the message they're sending us which is a much bigger global message that we got to wake up and start doing

something now. toby tan is of chbc news reporting. coming up later, the gop candidates fight for votes in south carolina, we'll hear from senator john mccain about how nasty the campaign may get. also the latest from the pentagon over a video that appears to show marines desecrating the corpses of taliban fighters. the growing problem of airline flights taking unscheduled refueling stops. the inside story from captain chesley sully sullenberger. that will do it for the "cbs morning news." appreciate you watch. i'm terrell brown. appreciate you watch. i'm terrell brown. have a great day everybody. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com